Charlie Moskos, the nation’s most pre-eminent military sociologist and the architect of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” is dead. So is Les Aspin, who as a defensive defense secretary battling the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” official Pentagon policy in 1994. Friday, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will join those two men – …
Military
Afghanistan: “Can Do!” or “Can We Do?”
Marine Lieut. General John Allen told the Senate Armed Services Committee three weeks ago that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the future of Afghanistan as he readied to take over for Army General Dave Petraeus (the change of command happened Monday).
A new State Department inspector general’s report — Sensitive But …
Batten Down the Hatches!
The Washington Post chimes in Thursday morning with the news — well, not to Battleland readers, mind you — that the big ax in the sky is getting ready to fall on the Pentagon.
Fully-Loaded Magazine
TIME published its report on Osama bin Laden’s death three days after it happened. It has taken bin Laden’s allies nearly three months. The latest issue of Inspire, the English-language jihadist magazine allegedly published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, hails his sacrifice:
While we lament the loss of a great leader, we also
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Firsts, and Nexts
As the first woman to command a commissioned Navy vessel in 1990, I have been asked to comment on many other firsts. I recently was asked by CBS News to comment on the assignment of Brigadier General Loretta Reynolds as the first female commanding general of the Marine Recruiting Depot at Parris Island, N.C. Simultaneously, I also …
Not Born on the 4th of July
Just because you haven’t read something like this in awhile doesn’t mean it’s no longer happening:
It’s common that when a person dies with most of his or her life seemingly ahead of them, friends and family create online memorials. Ian is no different. His sister, Meg, posted one on Facebook over the weekend, and it has
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The (Increasingly Loud) Sound of Freedom
The U.S. military has been facing complaints from folks living near its air bases that its planes are just too darn loud. Now, low and behold, comes this interesting chart buried deep inside a new Air Force document. The service’s 578-page environmental impact statement on basing its new F-35 fighter at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base …
And You Thought Reuniting East and West Germany Was Hard
South Korea is buzzing about plans — including taxes — to pay for the reunification of North and South Korea. Reports the Korea Times:
Despite the lingering tension, President Lee Myung-bak cited the need to map out a blueprint and use taxpayers’ money to prepare for the unification. “It is necessary to use the taxpayers’
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What? They Don’t Like the MREs?
Our friends over at Danger Room have posted an item about the U.S. Special Operations Command’s search for someone to turn U.S. troops into Afghan cooks. But not just any kind of Afghan cooks. As the contract solicitation explains:
This training shall encompass instruction on; Slaughter techniques, cultural diversity, equipment
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The $30 Billion Rebel
Given last week’s decision by Washington to recognize the Libyan rebels as that nation’s legitimate government — and giving them access to at least some of the $30 billion in Libyan government funds in U.S. banks — makes you wonder: just who are these folks? Dan Murphy of the Christian Science Monitor writes up the six weeks he …
Pakistanis, Indians, and the U.S. Taxpayer
Pakistan, you may have heard, is finding it challenging to battle the friendly (to them) Taliban forces on its soil that only cross into Afghanistan to kill U.S. troops (the Pakistanis have no compunction about killing the other Taliban — those trying to topple the government in Islamabad). So it was interesting to see the …
Tattoo You? “Look Sharp, Air Force!”
Should it really take 179 pages [check the update below] to tell the men and women in our Air Force how to dress and groom? Well, according to this week’s release of Air Force Instruction 36-2903 — Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, it does. “The changes are a result of Airmen in the field requesting …
